Re: There are alternatives to donating blood (Nov. 25, 2010)
It is true that hospitals are always in need of blood products. Blood is used for trauma victims, cardiac surgeries, organ transplants, and cancer patients, among many other uses.
However, Canadian Blood Services is not in chronic shortage of blood. Rather, we work hard to carefully monitor the balance between supply and demand by collecting the right amount - and right type - of blood products generously given by voluntary blood donors.
While some components of donated blood - red blood cells - can last up to 42 days, others - platelets - can only last five days. Regardless of blood type, blood products still need to be collected every day in order to meet hospital demand.
In regards to the removal of A and B antigens from blood, this technique was in fact developed more than two decades ago by scientists at the New York Blood Centre. Work did begin on commercializing the process, but the U.S.-based company overseeing the project is no longer actively working on the technology. As this approach still remains at the concept stage, there is no licensed process that can be used here at Canadian Blood Services.
While the removal of A and B antigens is an interesting technology that may have a future place in blood inventory management, in the end it is much less costly to the health-care system overall to recruit the right balance of donors with respect to blood groups in order to supply hospitals with life-saving blood products.
Dana Devine
Vice-president, Medical, Scientific, &
Research Affairs,
Canadian Blood Services
